Having lead worship for over 10 years, I have seen the enemy try anything and everything to take down worship leaders and worship teams. If you have been called to be a worship leader, then you should know that you’re walking around with a bright red target on your back.
Thankfully for us though, the more you know about his plan of attack, the less power he has over you.
Some theologians believe that Satan himself was a worship leader before he fell [Ezekiel 28:13 KJV] which makes it all the more clear why worship leaders are especially targeted, manipulated, and destroyed.
The last thing we need is to give the enemy another win.
Recently, I was re-reading a familiar verse when I felt God give me some new insight on what it meant to me as a worship leader.
“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 [ESV]
When I broke this down, I started to realize all the ways I have seen the enemy try to steal, kill, and destroy worshippers. How he subtly manipulates us until we start to believe we aren’t where God called us to be.
The enemy will stop at nothing until the world stops worshipping, until you give up on your church, until everyone on the team has quit, until you stop believing in yourself as a leader. But when you know his plan of attack on your life, you can stop living in fear and start leading your team with a new found confidence.
1. The Enemy Wants to Steal your Identity
The enemy loves to attack your MIND. It is where we are most vulnerable and where we start to believe those negative thoughts are coming from ourselves.
They are NOT.
Almost overnight, I went from leading worship each week for a church of 300 to leading worship for 3,000 and on live TV [shout out to Oral Roberts University!]
Immediately, my thoughts began spinning into this whirlwind of insecurity, thinking, “I’m not cut out for this, there are so many other singers that are way more talented and spiritual than me!”
Maybe there is someone out there more talented than you, maybe they can sing that octave jump in “King of My Heart” way better than you can. But it DOES NOT MATTER. Why? Because you have been chosen.
It honestly took me several years to realize that all this insecurity and the enemy robbing me of my identity was an attack.
So what do we do about it?
Our best defense is to be reminded by the Truth [aka the Word of God].
Do you really think David was the perfect fit to be King of Judah? A liar, adulterer, and murderer? Or Moses to lead the Israelites? (also a murderer by the way) Or that a donkey was the best choice to deliver a message to Balaam? (thank God for iMessage!)
Surely these leaders didn’t believe they were qualified, but the fact is that each of these leaders were CHOSEN, and so. are. YOU!
1 Peter 2:9 says
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
When God chose Esther, a Jewish woman, to confront King Xerxes about Haman’s plot to kill the Jews, Mordecai’s words to her were,
“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” [Esther 4:14]
Whatever lies the enemy has tried telling you, or whatever hurtful words someone in your church may have said, always remember your purpose. That you have been chosen for such a time as this, your identity is in God and the enemy can never take that away from you.
2. The Enemy wants to Kill your Joy
A few years ago, I lost someone very close to me to cancer. Despite years of praying and believing for a miracle, hours spent in the hospital and prayer room, he was gone and I was broken. I was hit with the kind of grief that shook the foundation of everything I thought I knew.
The day after he passed, his family asked me to lead worship at the memorial service.
Worship? How could I lead worship when everything inside of me wanted to scream at God and blame him for allowing someone be taken from this earth way before his time?!
It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I could hear God’s still small voice reminding me of what He called me to.
The enemy is always trying to give us a reason not to worship. He will always try to convince you that the worst things that happen to you are God’s fault.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” [James 1:2]
Worship is our response to God. Not just when things go well, but in every circumstance and every season.
Joy isn’t getting up and clapping along to Hillsong Young & Free in your opening song on Sunday morning. Joy is that constant strength inside you even when you are broken and grieving. It is the same strength that carried Jesus to the cross. [Hebrews 12:2]
That joy is by God and through God. No circumstance, no matter how great, can ever take that away.
3. The Enemy Wants to Destroy your Relationships
Show me a worship team who has perfect communication skills and everyone agrees on every song arrangement and I will personally buy that team Sunday brunch at Cracker Barrel for the next year! But let’s be real, every team at some point or another struggles with unity. It happens! And the enemy is well aware.
It always seems to be in those crucial two hours before service starts that the enemy begins infiltrating the mind of everyone on your team. Someone shows up late, and you feel disrespected as a leader. Someone second guesses that build in a repeat bridge of I Surrender and you have division.
What was supposed to be a normal Sunday morning sound check has now turned into a charade of passive aggressive comments and baseless grudges.
The enemy knows that even if everything looks perfect, sounds perfect, and is technically ready to go, he still has a foothold. Especially if the worship team is getting lost in the process instead of the presence!
I have seen too many worship teams fall short of their potential because of broken relationships. This needs to stop.
Romans 15:5 says,
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had so that with one mind and one voice, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another then just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
It’s that simple. Don’t let the enemy get in between you and your team. Be aware that those little disputes could very well be a spiritual attack and if not addressed, will only fester until there is no unity left.
Being a worship leader is one of the highest honors in the world, but as long as you are one, the enemy will never stop trying to take you down. Thankfully, the more you know about his plan of attack, the less power he has over you. So the next time you see signs of disruption in your life and in your team, get in the word, remember the truth, and never stop glorifying our God.
You may also be interested in these posts as well:
- We Answer Your Worship Leading Questions! [Video]
- Musicians – Why Satan Loves When We Practice
- Why Not Doing This One Simple Thing Could Be Killing Your Team
- 4 Reasons Why Your Band Should Stop Practicing and Start Rehearsing
